AT 2 P.M.: Readers Chat Live With Rob Port, Wess Philome and Mark Friese About North Dakota and Hate Crime Legislation

A Fargo/Moorhead mosque was vandalized with racial slurs and Nazi imagery recently. That and other incidents have led some to call for new hate crime policies in North Dakota.

Fargo City Commissioner Arlette Preston is calling for a new ordinance in her community.

The editorial board of the Fargo Forum has also called for new statewide policies in North Dakota.

But do these policies work? Do they actually deter hate crimes? Would they stand in the way of the criminal justice system producing just outcomes?

Wess Philome, an activist with OneFargo and the Black Lives Matter movement, wants new policies enacted.

Mark Friese, a practicing defense attorney with the Vogel Law Firm in Fargo, questions both the efficacy of such policies and the necessity.

These men join this episode of Plain Talk Live to discuss the issue.

All episodes of Plain Talk Live are also available on the Plain Talk podcast, which you can subscribe to by way of your favorite podcasting service.